


sleepless in salt lake city

by euphorickiri



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, big red is a good friend, kourtney & big red are bffs, kourtney stands up for herself yup yup, monique is kourtney's big sister bc I said so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:33:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23174746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euphorickiri/pseuds/euphorickiri
Summary: nini and kourtney. that's how it's always been. but some things aren't meant to last forever.
Relationships: Kourtney & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	sleepless in salt lake city

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone knows Kourtney as Nini’s best friend, but who is she other than that?
> 
> Is she anything more than that?

Kourtney can’t remember the last time she got a full night of sleep. She rolled over in her bed to check her phone, groaning in annoyance when she saw it was past midnight. For the past couple of weeks, the teen hasn’t been able to fall asleep easily and she doesn’t know why. By the time Kourtney does get tired, it’s already time for her to get up and go to school. She opened up her messages to text Nini and see if she was awake to try and get her mind off it

**kourt: hey ru up?**

**kourt: could really use a distraction rn**

**neens: sorry, i’m on ft with ricky**

**neens: i’ll see u in school tmrw tho!**

She glared at her phone and slammed in on top of her dresser, pulling her covers over her head. Of _course_ she was talking to Ricky, this shouldn’t have been a surprise. Ever since they got back together, Nini never has time for her anymore.

Hell, she didn’t have time for Kourtney when she and Ricky broke up.

Every time they talked, all Nini could focus on was Ricky. Kourtney tried to tell her multiple times to forget about him and move on, but Nini never wanted to listen. Them getting back together now felt too soon but of course, Nini ignored her.

Kourtney was so absorbed in her thoughts she didn’t even realize how long she stayed up until her alarm clock went off. She groaned, covering her face with her pillow before screaming into it. Monique, Kourtney’s older sister, walked into her room with an annoyed expression on her face.

“Mom says I have to drop you off at school so get up and get ready fast, I can’t be late for my exam,” she said.

Kourtney flipped her off and her sister just smirked before closing the door. She stayed in bed for another minute before getting up and throwing on a quick outfit before going downstairs. Her mom was in the kitchen cooking while Monique was sitting at the table shoveling eggs into her mouth. Kourtney gave her a look of disgust as she grabbed a bagel.

“Well someone finally woke up,” her mom teased, kissing her forehead as she walked towards Monique to give her more eggs.

“I never even went to sleep,” Kourtney muttered.

She hasn’t told her mom or her sister about the lack of sleep she’s been getting, not even Nini knows. But even if Kourtney tried to tell her, she doubted her friend would even listen. 

“I’m going to be working late but I left some money for you guys to order food,” her mom said, breaking Kourtney out of her thoughts.

“Looks like it’s another night of Five Guys,” Monique sighed dramatically.

Their mom rolled her eyes while Kourtney glared at her sister. “Absolutely not, we’re getting Chipotle.”

Before they could argue about which fast food place was better, their mom used them out of the house so they wouldn’t be late. Monique was in her second year of college at the University of Utah and she was studying to become a nurse. Kourtney couldn’t help but be envious of her sister at times, especially since she knew for a fact she wanted to do something with fashion when she graduated. Her mom didn’t see that as a good idea and they argued about it quite often, and her mom always found a way to compare Kourtney to Monique.

“Well, _your sister_ is going to be able to find a job when she’s done with college.”

“Well, _your sister’s_ grades were never this bad.”

“Well, _your sister_ wants to do something practical.”

It was a miracle that Kourtney left the house without arguing with her mom this morning. Monique was always in the middle of it all and even if she did support Kourtney, the teen knew her sister secretly agreed with her mom to a certain extent.

These were things Kourtney wanted to rant to Nini about, but of course, the only thing she ever wanted to talk about was Ricky. She leaned back in her seat and huffed in frustration as Monique looked at her in concern. 

“Are you that pressed over Five Guys?” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

“Fuck you,” Kourtney replied, causing her sister to laugh.

They continued to drive in silence as Kourtney tried to figure out what she wanted to say.

“Things with Nini have been weird lately,” she finally admitted.

“Lately?” Monique snorted. 

Kourtney gave her a look of disbelief. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? “

Monique winced at her harsh tone but stayed silent as her sister continued to look at her, waiting for a response. They finally arrived at East high and Monique parked the car before looking at Kourtney with a serious expression on her face.

“Kourt, I love you, but you need a reality check,” Monique said firmly, “Things with Nini haven’t been weird recently, they’ve been weird ever since you’ve known her.”

_What?_

“What?” Kourtney asked.

“For as long as you’ve known Nini, it’s always been about her,” Monique replied, “If Nini wanted to play on the swings, you would go on the swings. If Nini wanted to have pizza instead of wings, you would have pizza. If Nini wanted to talk about some bland white boy, you would talk about some bland white boy.”

Kourtney snorted at the subtle drag towards Ricky but stopped when she saw the look on her sister’s face.

“Your life revolves around Nini, Kourt,” Monique said honestly, “You’re so dependent on her that you don’t even realize it. As much as you try to ignore it, this friendship is one-sided. Can you even remember a time when Nini asked what you wanted to do? Or asked how you’re feeling?”

Kourtney wanted to yell at her sister and tell her she was wrong. She wanted to defend Nini and tell Monique that she has been an amazing friend and has always been there for her.

But, like always, Monique was right.

“I’m not trying to be mean, I’m just telling you how it is,” she assured, “You’re an amazing person Kourt, but you’re also too nice. Nini is taking advantage of that and you’re allowing her to. If you don’t try and do something about it, things aren’t going to change and you’ll never be your own person.”

Kourtney nodded silently and gave Monique a small smile before getting out of the car and heading into the building. She couldn’t stop replaying her sister’s words in her head. She knew her sister was right, but another part of her still wanted to prove Monique wrong. Kourtney has known Nini forever, and there has to be a good reason why they’ve been friends for this long.

Right?

She sighed and stood by her locker where she usually met Nini in the morning and waited for her to arrive. Maybe she could talk to Nini about it before first period started. Kourtney frowned when she noticed school was about to start and Nini was still nowhere to be found. She took out her phone to check if Nini texted her but found nothing.

“Kourtney?”

She looked up and was surprised to see Big Red standing in front of her with a nervous expression on his face.

“I know you and Nini usually walk to first period together, but Ricky texted me and said he was picking her up this morning to get coffee so I figured I would let you know,” he said quietly.

Oh.

So not only did Nini not give her a heads up, but she had to hear this from Big Red who Nini barely spoke to anymore. How hard was it to send a text?

Kourtney gave Big Red a tight smile and tried not to show her inner irritation. “Thanks for letting me know.”

He nodded and she walked towards her first period class, ignoring the worried look Big Red gave her as she walked away. The bell finally rang and Mr. Mazzara walked in and started to talk, but Kourtney drowned him out.

She couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander towards Nini, and that’s when she knew she couldn’t deny the fact that what Monique said was true. Everything Kourtney did seemed to revolve around Nini and she hated that. She was always thinking about her, but did she ever think about Kourtney? 

She heard laughter coming from down the hall and looked up, narrowing her eyes when Nini and Ricky stumbled into the classroom. They tried to collect themselves when Mr. Mazzara glared at them for interrupting.

“Bowen, you’re not in this class so I suggest you leave,” he deadpanned. “Roberts, not only are you _late,_ but you decided it would be a good idea to interrupt class.”

“Sorry Mr. Mazzara,” Nini replied as she held back her amusement, “It won’t happen again.”

Ricky gave her a quick kiss before running out of the classroom. Mr. Mazzara rolled his eyes and motioned for Nini to sit down as he continued his lecture. She took her seat next to Kourtney and faced the other girl with a huge smile on her face.

“I had the best morning with Ricky,” she whispered excitedly.

Kourtney gave her a strained smile. “That’s great, but I tried-”

“I forgot how much fun Ricky can be,” she added, cutting Kourtney off, “We did get in trouble but it was so worth it.”

“Cool, but-”

“I don’t want to get into any more trouble, we can talk more at lunch,” Nini said, cutting her off again.

Kourtney wanted to scream.

She faced forward and tried to pay attention, but she failed. Has Nini always been this infuriating? Or is this just the first time she’s noticed? Kourtney didn’t even realize how much time she spent thinking about this until the bell rang. But instead of waiting for Nini, she grabbed her stuff and practically ran out of the room. 

She ignored the other girl for the rest of the day.

As much as she hated herself for it, Kourtney subtly glanced over at Nini throughout the day to see if she would be looking at her in concern or confusion, or just to notice her at all. But she wasn’t.

Nini was always focused on Ricky.

When lunchtime finally rolled around, Kourtney didn’t even bother to go to the cafeteria. She decided to eat her lunch in the theatre room which was usually empty during this time. When she walked in, she was surprised to see Big Red sitting at the piano bench. He looked surprised to see Kourtney as well, but he made no move to leave.

“I thought this room was usually empty,” she said sheepishly, breaking the silence.

“It is, which is why I like to come here,” Big Red replied.

He motioned towards the free space on the piano bench and Kourtney sighed before taking off her backpack and sitting next to him. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you come here?” Big Red questioned.

“I’ll answer if you tell me why you’ve been coming here,” Kourtney replied.

He went quiet and turned towards the piano, playing random notes to fill the silence. “I’d rather not be around Ricky and Nini right now.”

“Same,” she quietly agreed. 

Big Red was surprised to hear that from her but didn’t comment on it. They fell into silence again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Kourtney didn’t know why, but something about Big Red just made her feel at ease.

That was ironic considering that they never really got along. She didn’t like Ricky and Big Red was his best friend, so her dislike for the redhead was immediate. But lately, she’s noticed they have a lot more in common than she wanted to admit.

The reasons she hated Big Red were really the things she hated about herself, and that realization terrified her.

“You know, I always hated you because Ricky treated you like a sidekick and you never said anything,” Kourtney admitted, “But I realized Nini treats me the same way.”

“They can be selfish,” Big Red muttered.

“Why do you stick with him?” she asked hesitantly.

“Why do you stick with her?” he shot back.

Kourtney was taken aback by his harsh tone, but she took a minute to think about it. Nini was familiar, she was safe. For the longest time, Kourtney struggled to figure out who she was. Monique has always known who she was and with their mom constantly breathing down her neck, focusing on someone else seemed easier than focusing on herself.

Kourtney was scared to stand on her own because she didn’t know _how_. It was a terrifying concept to her, especially because she didn’t know how other people would react. Everyone knows her as Nini’s best friend, but who is she other than that?

Is she anything more than that?

“I don’t know who I am without Nini,” Kourtney said quietly.

“You’re more than just Nini’s best friend you know,” Big Red argued.

“But what if I’m not?” Kourtney questioned harshly.

“That’s a question you have to figure out for yourself,” he replied, “But you don’t need Nini. You can stand on your own and be your own person. You’re pretty amazing Kourtney, and I wish you could see that.”

She looked at Big Red in shock who just looked at her with a small smile. Out of all the people in the world, Kourtney didn’t expect Big Red to be the person who understands her the most. But he was right, just like Monique. As scary as it may seem, she couldn’t keep following Nini around like a lost puppy.

She needed to focus on herself.

“You should take your own advice,” Kourtney said.

Big Red shrugged and turned back towards the piano. “Baby steps.”

She rolled her eyes at his response but didn’t say anything else. They ended up talking for the rest of the lunch period, and Kourtney can’t remember the last time she laughed so hard. Big Red was funny and just a sweet person in general.

Ricky really did take him for granted. 

“Kourt.”

They stopped laughing and looked up and saw Nini standing in the doorway with an angry expression on her face. Kourtney sighed and stood up, grabbing her bag. Big Red reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her. She looked back towards him and took the piece of paper he was holding out as he gave her a serious look.

“Remember what we talked about,” he said.

She nodded and walked away, smiling slightly when his phone number was written on the paper with a smiley face drawn next to it. She looked up when the shorter teen cleared her throat. 

“Why haven’t you been answering my texts?” Nini demanded.

“Excuse me?” Kourtney questioned.

“I’ve been trying to find you because I need to talk and you’ve been completely ignoring me,” she replied in annoyance.

She couldn’t be serious. How did she let this slide for so long?

“Well I’m sorry I’m not at your beck and call!” Kourtney snapped.

Nini’s eyes went wide in shock at her friend’s outburst. “What?”

“So it’s okay if you completely ignore my texts, but I ignore yours and all of a sudden it’s a problem?” Kourtney asked angrily.

She didn’t want to argue with Nini, but she couldn’t help it. All of Kourtney’s frustrations were coming out at once and she needed to get them off her chest.

“I can’t do this anymore!” she cried. “I’m not going to let you walk all over me!”

“Kourt, what are you talking about?” Nini asked.

“Name one thing going on in my life Nini, _one_ ,” Kourtney snapped. 

She tried to ignore the way he heart ached when Nini struggled to come up with a response. Even if Monique was right, Kourtney knew there were moments where Nini was a good friend. She’s not a terrible person by any means.

But she can be self-absorbed and tends to forget the world doesn’t revolve around her. The fact that Nini doesn’t even see why she’s angry proves how clueless she can be of other people’s feelings. If things were ever going to be the same between her and Kourtney again, she needs to work on that and at least make an _effort_ to be a better person and a better friend. 

Until then, Kourtney couldn’t do this anymore.

“You care about me when it’s convenient for you,” Kourtney finally said, breaking the silence. 

“Kourt come on you know that’s not true-”

“I’m not going to fight to be your friend if you won’t even try to be mine.” 

The bell rang above them. People started coming out of classrooms and moving through the halls to get to their next classes. Kourtney and Nini stayed where they were standing and just kept staring at each other. Nini went to speak but Kourtney didn’t even let her get a word in before walking away. She heard the other girl call after her but ignored it and kept walking. Tears started to blur Kourtney’s vision as she pulled out her phone to text Monique to come and pick her up early.

She left the school and sat on the curb outside of the entrance until her sister pulled up. As soon as Kourtney sat in Monique’s car, she broke down. Her sister didn’t even have to ask what happened and just pulled Kourtney into a hug, trying to calm her down.

When they got home, Kourtney went straight up to her room and buried herself under the covers. She didn’t regret what she said to Nini, but it still hurt. A small part of her was hoping Nini would chase after her or send her a message, but of course she was let down.

Again.

Monique came upstairs later on to bring Kourtney dinner, and the teen smiled slightly when her sister dropped a Chipotle bag on her dresser. When she finished eating her phone went off and Kourtney smiled when she saw Big Red messaged her. 

**big red: hey its red**

**big red: well big red**

**big red: u probably knew who else do u know with the name red,,,**

**big red: ANYWAY**

**big red: the theatre room is always open if u wanna come and relax**

**big red: and im always on my phone so if u ever need anything im here**

**big red: us sidekicks gotta stick together**

For the first time in a while, Kourtney felt at ease. Big Red was a good person and she was glad she could call him a friend.

**kourt: not sidekicks anymore**

**kourt: but thanks, im always here too if u need me**

**big red: ur right**

**big red: and thanks**

**big red: but its still a cute friendship nickname anyway bc thats how we bonded :D**

She snorted at his response and they ended up talking for a while. Nini sent her one message but she ignored it, deciding it could wait until tomorrow. Big Red eventually fell asleep and Kourtney decided to try and do the same.

And for the first time in a while, she slept. 


End file.
